While I never imagined Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to be a conservative, I used to think she was vaguely connected to reality. Her October 25th speech at an Iftaar dinner (marking the end of Ramadan) disabused me of that notion. It was an exercise in crescent-kissing to put even her boss to shame.

Upping the ante on Western Muslim mania, madam secretary promoted Islam from religion of peace to religion of love and peace. (You always hurt the ones you love?) Islams love letters usually come with TNT attached.

We in America know the benevolence that is at the heart of Islam, Rice remarked. Weve seen it in many ways.

Muslim benevolence may be glimpsed in a ceremony just days ago in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, where Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Sudais (imam of Meccas Grand Mosque) received the Islamic Personality of the Year Award.

In a 2003 sermon, Sheikh Love prayed that Allah would terminate the Jews, who he benevolently called the scum of humanity, the rats of the world, prophet killers pigs and monkeys (the latter comes from the Koran). On other occasions Al-Sudais referred to Jews as evil, a continuum of deceit, tyrannical and treacherous  doubtless, all terms of endearment among devotees of the religion of peace and love.

Rice went on to observe: We in America also know that Muslims possess certain basic rights that arise from our equal human dignity. Among these are the right to live without oppression, the right to worship without persecution, and the right to think and speak and assemble without wrongful retribution.

Pity Muslims dont extend the same rights to religious minorities in their counties -- Christians in Nigeria, Jews in Iran, Orthodox in Kosovo, Egyptian Copts, etc.

Earlier this month, there were riots outside a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt. It took 5,000 police to quell the crowd protesting a play at the church which it believed had defamed its adorable religion. Days before, a Muslim stabbed a nun to retaliate for the sale of a DVD of the play. Crossing peace and love can be a risky business.

Besides puckering up for the Prophet, our Secretary of State indulged in some unabashed America-bashing. After ritual garment-rending over the sin of segregation, Condi pontificated, So, of all nations, America has no cause for false pride and we have every reason for humility. (Perhaps it was her years in academia that taught Rice to babble fluently.)

No reason for false pride, huh? It must have been the Saudis who launched us into the computer age. Guess it was the Egyptians who spent half-a-century feeding the worlds hungry. Were those Iranians hitting the beach on D-Day?  probably not, given that most adherents of the religion of peace and love were rooting for the Nazis.

Her fondness for Islam must be behind Rices advocacy of a Palestinian state. Why limit the love to only 1,000-plus dead Israelis in the past five years?

In all of existence, there is no greater dichotomy than between the way Islam is portrayed by its Western admirers and the way its practiced by its more enthusiastic adherents. Wherever large numbers of Muslims come in contact with infidels, all jihad breaks loose. Thats as true on the West Bank as it is in the Kashmir, as much a reality in the Philippines as the Balkans and as sure in West Africa as it is in Indonesia.

There are two possible explanations for this phenomenon:

1) Islam is indeed a religion of sweetness and light which, for some inexplicable reason, tends to provoke the wrath of non-Muslims of every variety.

Yet, reality notwithstanding, Western elites insist on seeing Islam through Condi-colored glasses. No amount of suicide bombing, anti-Semitic agitation (Jordanian TV is airing a series on the Jewish conspiracy for global domination  The Protocols of The Elders of Zion for Dummies), rampant misogyny, persecution of Christians or slaughter of innocents is allowed to penetrate this mindset.

Love (as well as body parts) was in the air in India on Saturday, when bomb blasts in two crowded New Delhi markets killed 61, among them a number children. While no one has claimed responsibility, police are saying it has all the earmarks of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, the jihadi group attempting to wrest the Kashmir away from India.

Isnt it odd how the religion of love and peace often inspires such murderous rage among its disciples? I dont recall Moses, Jesus or Buddha saying, If you kill infidels, youll go straight to heaven and get 70 doe-eyed virgins in the bargain. While most religions went through a violent stage, Islams has lasted for almost 1,400 years  and counting.

The standard Western response is that terrorism in the name of Islam is the work of fanatics, extremists  a fringe element that somehow has managed to misinterpret its peaceable and adorable faith and turn it into an incendiary device.

This overlooks opinion surveys in the Islamic world which show substantial support for the Muslim version of Murder Inc. It also ignores the fact that, despite constant urging and every opportunity to do so, so-called Muslim moderates somehow never get around to repudiating jihad violence. It also assumes that George Bush and Condi Rice know more about Islam than the sheikhs of Mecca, the mullahs of Iran, the imams of the West Bank or the religious scholars of Cairos al-Azhar University. Did our Secretary of State read the Cliff Notes Koran?

One who shares Condis pro-Prophet euphoria is the House of Windsors Dumbo. Prince Charles is heading here to lecture us on the need for greater acceptance of the swellest religion ever. Re: Islam, I find the language and rhetoric coming from America too confrontational, the Prince of Wales maintains. Did Neville Chamberlain take too confrontational an approach to the Third Reich?

One of Charless more distinguished countrymen had this to say of Islam: Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities But the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists anywhere in the world. Unlike Prince Charles, Winston Churchill didnt inherit his position, but did experience Islam in the raw.

I hope Rices Iftaar remarks receive the widest possible circulation. It should help disillusion those conservatives who are pushing her as the GOP presidential candidate in 08. Who would she run with, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called for Israel to be wiped off the map?

Love is all around.

Don Feder is a free-lance writer, media consultant and author of "Who is afraid of the Religious Right?" and "A Jewish Conservative Looks at Pagan America."

I had a dog who used to chew the furniture. So I started whacking the dog with a rolled up newspaper. I used to say to the dog as I whacked him, "fido doesn't chew the furniture -- whack!...Fido doesn't chew the furniture -- smack!

After a while, fido didn't chew the furniture.

So whats my point?

Islam is a religion of peace -- whack! Religion is a religion of peace -- smack!

Nobody, but nobody has done more to whack violent Islam than Condi Rice.

Look...I have a problem here. My two cats like to sit in front of my monitor. I am a struggling writer (and if I can handle my cats...I might be able to hit the ball).

We need "the Charlites" and we need all the rest of us. I am always wrong but (zzzzzzz......that's not me...my cat Freckles just walked over my keyboard), we need all of us. We need the white hot lights and the cool lights of reasons.

But my opinion is just one small vote.

Let's keep on fighting...and believe that right will defeat wrong.

31
posted on 10/31/2005 7:40:45 PM PST
by Dark Skies
("A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants." -- Churchill)

The quote is from Harry Truman, Democrat icon and obvious looney. What has that got to do with Feder's braindead and ignorant garbage? Or are you saying Feder is as stupid and clueless as Harry Truman? I'll have to agree.

37
posted on 10/31/2005 8:22:53 PM PST
by Deb
(Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)

I'm with you. I previously entertained the idea of Condi for President, but after reading what she said at the Iftaar dinner, I think she's blown ANY chance she will ever have to become President. I'm not very forgiving when it comes to the sons of Satan being entertained in the White House, and her calling it the "annual Iftaar dinner!

38
posted on 10/31/2005 9:07:27 PM PST
by NRA2BFree
(Alito may be the last chance we have to save America from Destruction! Call your Senators!!!!!)

I didn't think so either. I'm just having difficulty agreeing with the diplo-psychology being used on these crazies. No doubt in my mind that they will interpret our nice remarks as appeasement and give them the false notion that we subscribe to and agree with their brand and definition of 'love and peace'.

To play their game is to play on their field. Doesn't anyone in Washington know we are war with these crazies?

If you're not a Vet and haven't been in the heat of war I don't think there is an actual difference in your life. Paychecks come on time, the food is as it was, fresh and served hot, the walks on the beach are still safe and secure, the beds are still comfortable, the kids are still laughing and giggling, there is no fear of ambush on foggy mornings or during the evening rain, ......

42
posted on 11/01/2005 4:47:47 AM PST
by B4Ranch
(No expiration date on the oath to protect America from all enemies, foreign and domestic!)

Too bad. . .maybe Condi does not want any grief from Prince Charles at the State dinner. . .

And of course. . .GW bends way over as well; or so it appears from 'this side'. So Condi and GW at least, look to be. . .'eye to eye' on this. . .

Seems the view is a bit different from the balcony of the Prince's castle. . .

[Mentioning this in reference to Prince Charles' visit with Camilla to US and his being upset with 'our' being so mean to the Islamists. . .around the world, yet. And supposedly, he intends to tell GW how unhappy this is making him.]

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.